the world following after pleasures riches honours if we conforme our selues to this present world and the examples therof if wee take thought for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof then are we souldiors indeed but in the diuels campe we fight but vnder Sathans banner against God against the spirit against our owne soules So farre are we either from sojourning in Gods Tabernacle for the preâ—â—nt or from hope of resting in the mountaine of his holinesse for the time to come Secondly whereas the holy ghost calleth the Church of Christ vpon earth a Tabernacle we may learne that neither the Church it selfe nor the members of it haue any firme or fixed seat of habitation on the earth for Tabernacles and Tents are made to that end that they may be remoued froÌ„ place to place Yea the Tabernacle of God was a moueable temple eftsoones changing his seat And as those Israelits were types vnto vs so was that Tabernacle a type of the militant Church For euen as that Tabernacle after it was once made wandered vp and downe in the desert and after sojourned for a while now here now there sometimes in Shilo sometimes among the Philistims somtimes in Keriathjarim c. and neuer found any setled place vntil it was transported into the mountaine of God so the Church of God wandreth many times as a pilgrim in the desert of this world forced oft times to change her seat tossed too and fro persecuted molested banished and neuer findeth any assured place of constant rest vntill it bee translated into the celestiall mountaine of Gods holinesse Thirdly whereas the Church is called the Tabernacle of God as elsewhere in the Scriptures the house and temple of God wherein God dwelleth and manifesteth his presence we may learn that the Lord dwelleth as it were in his Church and after a singular maner is present therein For to this end the Lord commaunded the Tabernacle to be made that he might dwell among them and againe whereas he promiseth by Moses To set his Tabernacle among them and walke among them The Apostle expoundeth his setting his Tabernacle to bee his dwelling among them You are saith he the temple of the liuing God As God hath said I will dwell among them and I wil walke there And to the same purpose elsewhere hee is said to be and to walke in the middest of his people to dwell in Sion and to walke in the middest of the seuen golden candlesticks that is of the seuen churches Now the consideration of Gods presence in his Church ought to make vs warie and circumspect that wee may so behaue our selues as in the presence of God who searcheth the hearts and reines of men For the Lord is not onely present to reward those which worship him in spirit and truth but also to punish and afflict those which feare not to sinne in his presence Wherefore the holy ghost as he chargeth the Israelits not to feare their enemies because God did walke with them and was among them a consuming fire to destroy their enemies so hee commaundeth them to abstaine from sinne because God was among them a consuming fire could not abide any filthinesse especially spirituall vncleannesse among them This therefore must teach vs to set God alwayes before our eyes and to behaue our selues as in his presence knowing that wee are more than shamelesse sinners if wee feare not to sinne in the sight and presence of God But although the Lord bee present euery where in his Church after a speciall manner yet more especially he is present in the assemblies of the Church and congregations of his people gathered together in the name of Christ as Christ himselfe hath promised Matt. 18. 20. Where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the middest of them Therefore in the old Testament those who were excluded from the assembly of the Church thought themselues banished from the face presence of God The consideration whereof as it must affect vs with an earnest desire and serious care of frequenting the Tabernacles of God to visit his face and to behold his presence so it must teach vs to behaue our selues in the assembly of Gods saints as in the presence of God Dauid when he was exiled or otherwise excluded from the assemblies of the Church he desired nothing more than that hee might haue libertie to come vnto the Tabernacle of God and to appear in the presence of God See Psal. 27. 4. One thing haue I desired of the Lord that I will require euen that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of my life to behold the beautie of the Lord and to visit his temple And Psal. 42. As the Hart brayeth for the riuers of waters so panteth my soule after thee O God My soule thirsteth for God euen for the liuing God when shall I come and appeare before the presence of God c. Likewise Ps. 84. O Lord of hosts how amiable are thy Tabernacles my soule longeth yea fainteth that I might come to the Courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh crie out after the liuing God c. And when he had liberty to come to the Tabernacle he rejoyced in nothing more Psal. 122. Ireioyced when they said vnto me we will go into the house of the Lord. And again Psal. 84. he judgeth them blessed that dwell in the house of the Lord and preferreth one day spent in the Courts of the Lord before a thousand elswhere But as I said the presence of God must also moue vs to behaue our selues reuerently and religiousâ—y that before we come vnto the house of the Lord we look vnto our feet that is examine with what affections wee come and not onely so but also to put off the shoes of our feet that is our corrupt affections that we may bee readie to heare rather than to offer the sacrifice of fooles for the place of the assembly being sanctified by Gods presence is holy ground And that when we are entred into the assembly we may after the example of Cornelius behaue our selues as in the presence of God Those which come before an earthly prince either to speake vnto him or to heare him speake how carefull are they to behaue themselues in all comely reuerence how much more ought wee in all reuerence and feare appeare before the glorious majestie of the great God the King of kings and Lord of lords especially considering that the Lord doth not behold vs as man doth but looketh especially vnto the heart Our abode in the Church militant is signified in the word soiourne Hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who shall soiourne Sojourning saith Basil is a temporarie abode signifying not a setled life but transitorie
vpon the world halting betwixt God and Mammon and esteeming gaine to be godlinesse we may be theeues yea diuels as he was And not to insist any longer in the seuerall parts of Gods worship this may be said of all externall worship in generall that so oft as it is seuered from the inward spirituall worship of God it is hypocritical and detestable in the sight of God To which purpose the Lord professeth by his Prophet That he which killeth a bullocke is as if he slew a man he that sacrificeth a sheep as if he cut off a dogs necke he that offereth an oblation as if he offered swines bloud he that remembreth incense as if he blessed an idole Wee must therefore beware least we rest in the performance of outward seruice or coÌ„tent our selues with opere operato the deed done which is the rotten pillar of popish superstition For it is not sufficient to doe that which is right vnlesse we do it with an vpright heart If with Amaziah wee doe that which is right but not with an vpright heart we may fall away as he did Wherefore that exhortation which the Apostle maketh to mens seruants much more belongeth to vs who are the seruants of God namely That we shold performe our duties towards him from our heart not in eye-seruices as men-pleasers but with simplicitie of heart fearing God and from our hearts obeying the holy will and commaundements of God Out of all which it appeareth euidently that without vprightnesse of heart neither the graces of the spirit which wee may seeme to haue are of any worth or our worship of any account with God But howsoeuer the most excellent graces without it be glorious sinnes and the most glorious worship counterfeit yet on the other side where vprightnesse is the graces which we haue though as small as a graine of mustard seed and our worship though performed in much weakenesse is acceptable vnto God The second argument is taken from the authoritie of God himselfe auowing the necessitie of vprightnesse And hereunto appertaineth first the testimonie both of the holy ghost in this place affirming That those who are to dwell in Gods holy mountaine are such as walke vprightly as also of our Sauiour Christ Matth. 5. denying that we shall euer enter into the kingdome of heauen vnlesse our righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies The righteousnesse which the Pharisies obserued themselues and taught others to obserue was altogether outward whereby they abstained from outward and more grosse offences neglecting inward and sâ—cret corruptions Secondly the commaundement of God enjoyning vprightnesse For this is the especiall dutie which we are to performe towards God viz. that wee bumble our selues to walke with our God For when the Lord was to establish his couenant with Abraham and his seed this condition he requireth to be performed on their part to walke before him and to be vpright This is that which Dauid commendeth to Salomon as his last will and testament Know thou the God of thy father and serue him with an vpright heart and a willing mind which Iosua in his last speech commendeth to the people of Israel that they should worship the Lord in spirit and truth As Moses also before had charged them Deut. 18. Thou shalt be vpright therefore before the Lord thy God For seeing the Lord is a spirit he will therefore be worshipped in spirit and in truth And as himselfe is a spirit so is his law spirituall restraining not onely the hand and tongue but also the heart Now the commaundement of God imposeth a necessitie not absolute indeed but with this condition If we will auoid his curse Thirdly the same is prooued by the oath of God which he sware vnto our father Abraham that he would giue vs who are the sonnes of Abraham and heires of promise that being deliuered out of the hands of our enemies we should worship him without feare in holinesse and righteousnesse before him For as the commaundement of God imposeth the necessitie of dutie so the oath of the Lord imposeth a necessitie of certainetie or as the schoolemen speake of infallibilitie And therefore if we doe not walke vprightly worshipping the Lord as before him it is as certaine as the oath of the Lord is true that we can haue no assurance that wee are redeemed by Christ out of the world to raigne with him in his holy mountaine The third and last argument enforcing the necessitie of vprightnesse may be this For either wee must be vpright or hypocrits There is no third for not to bee vpright is to be an hypocrite and not to be an hypocrite is to be vpright But we may in no case be hypocrites For hypocrisie is a sinne most odious vnto God most foolish in it selfe most pernicious to them that are infected therewith It is most odious vnto God for as the vpright are the Lords delight so the hypocrit is an abhomination vnto him For that which is highly esteemed among men is abhomination in the sight of God And not without cause For all hypocrisie and doubling is a double if not a triple sinne for counterfeit pietie is double impietie both because it is impietie and because it is counterfeit And as hypocrisie is a counterfeiting it containeth also two sinnes opposed to simplicitie and truth both which are comprised in integritie viz. falshood opposed vnto truth as it is mendacium facti and deceit or guile opposed vnto simplicitie as duplicitie or doubling The hypocrite in respect of his falsehood and disguising in the Greeke tongue is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a stage-player who although perhaps he be little better than a rogue representeth sometimes the person of a prince or monarch Those therefore are hypocrits who lead their life as it were vpon a stage cloaking sinne vnder the shew of vertue hauing some â—orme or vizard of pietie but denying the power of it Qui in superficie boni sunt sed in alto mali as Augustine speaketh who seeme to honour God with their lips but remooue their heart farre from him who desiring to seeme good but not to be so and not to seeme euill but to be so make cleane the outside of the cup and of the platter but within they are full of briberie and excesse and are therefore compared by our Sauiour Christ to painted sepulchres which appeare beautifull outward but are within full of dead mens bones and all filthinesse And as the fruit which groweth neere to Mare mortuum when it is ripe maketh a faire shew but within is full of cinders or ashes as some write so these men outwardly appeare righteous vnto men but within they are full of hypocrisie and iniquitie But as in the disguising of hypocrits there is falshood so in their doubling there is guile wherby they indeuouring to deceiue
of Enoch Noah Abraham Isaacke and others that they walked before God it signifieth that they walked that is liued vprightly as in the presence and sight of God admitting him to be the witnesse and iudge of all their actions and dealings thus were Zachary and Elizabeth sayd to be righteous before God that is vpright persons And in this sence vpright actions are said in the Scriptures to be done before the Lord. In the song of Zacharie we are said to be redeemed from the hand of our spirituall enemies to this end that we sâ—ould worship the Lord in holinesse and righteousnesse before him that is not as in the sight of men who see but the outward shewes but as in the sight and presence of God who seeth and respecteth the heart Thus are we with the Apostle to speake as before God in Christ thus are we to preach as before God thus are we to heare as before God with Cornelius 2. Againe to be vpright is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to walke with a rightfoot neither couertly treading awry with Peter Gal. 2. nor openly halting with the Israelits 1. King 18. 3. It is also as I said to be void of hypocrisie and doubling not to haue an heart and an heart or to bee double minded but to be single hearted Thus those things which be vpright are said to bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnfained and to be performed not with an heart an heart or with a heart diuided or parted but with an entire or whole heart After this manner the holy ghost speaking of the Zebulonits 1. Chron. 12. 33. that they came to Dauid nor with an heart and an heart doth afterwards expound himselfe when speaking of all the Tribes hee saith they came to Dauid with an vpright heart On the other side hypocrits and dissemblers they speake as the Psalmist saith with an heart and an heart and are therfore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 double minded men 4. Lastly this vertue of Vprightnesse is commended vnto vs vnder other names viz. synceritie and truth Sinceritie being opposed to mixture and truth to falsehood both which hypocrisie is Sincere is that which is without mixture as clarified honey is sine cera without wax or as bread without leauen For which cause the vertue of sinceritie is commended vnto vs vnder the type of the vnleauened bread with which the feast of the Passeouer was to be celebrated As contrariwise hypocrisie is signified by leauen and is called the leauen of the Pharisies There were other types also of the law wherin the mixture of hypocrisie doubling was condemned and contrariwise sinceritie commaunded vnto vs. As for example when the Lord forbad the Israelits to plant their vineyards with diuerse sorts or to sow their fields with diuerse kinds of seed or to plow with an oxe and asse together or to weare garments of linsey wolsey But it is also called Truth as 1. Cor. 5. 8. for this is the truth which the Lord requireth in the inward parts Psal. 51. 6. and wherein he is to bee worshipped and called vpon He is therefore said to walke vprightly who behauing himselfe as in the sight and presence of God walketh with a right foot without hypocrisie or dissimulation in sincertie and truth 2. Now that vprightnesse is a proper note to the citisens of heauen it may easily appeare by the reciprocall conuersion which is betwixt them For if all the citisens of heauen be vpright and all that be vpright are citisens of heauen then is it manifest that vprightnesse agreeth to all that be the sonnes and heires of God and to them alone First then that all which be heires of the kingdome of heauen are vpright it is euident For those that are not vpright haue none inheritance in heauen As Peter telleth Simon Maguâ— that he had no part in the Communion of Saints because his heart was not right in the sight of God For hypocrits as all be that are not vpright for not to be vpright is to be an hypocrite and not to be an hypocrite is to be vpright neither shall they sojourne to the end in Gods Tabernacle neither shal they rest in the mountaine of Gods holinesse but contrary to the priuiledge of the vpright in the last verse they shall beremooued both by defection whereby they seperat themselues from God in this life and by exclusion whereby they shall bee seperated from God in the life to come As touching the former as constancie and perseuerance is an vnseparable companion of vprightnesse so hypocrisie is accompanied with inconstancie and is commonly punished with defection The double minded man is inconstant in all his waies And the Apostle Iohn doth teach vs that those which be in the Church but are not of it that is to say hypocrits are permitted by the just judgement of God to fall away that their hypocrisie may be detected And to the same purpose Bildad the Shuhite Can arush saith he grow without mire or can the grasse grow without water Though it should be greene and not plucked vp yet shall it wither before any other hearbe So are the paths of all that forget God and the expectation of the hypocrite doth perish And as touching the life to come Iob sheweth that the hypocrite hath no hope when God doth take away his soule For all their reward they receiue in this life as our Sauiour Christ saith Verily Isay vnto you they haue their reward They are therefore in no expectation of reward for the hypocrite shall not come into the presence of God but are or may be in certain expectation of punishment For our Sauiour Christ when he would signifie that the wicked seruant shall certainely be condemned he saith That hee shall haue his portion with the hypocrites where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Those therefore that be heires of the kingdome of heauen they be not hypocrites and dissemblers but such as are vpright Which must teach vs as wee desire to perseuere in the faith to the end and to attaine to the end of our faith which is the saluation of our souls so to humble ourselues to walke with our God in sinceritie and vprightnesse of heart Now that all those also which be vpright are citisens of heauen it may euidently be prooued out of the Scriptures For as the Psalmist saith the Lord will giue grace and glory grace in this life and glory in the life to come and no good thing will â—ee withhold from them that walke vprightly Grace he giueth them with perseuerance for the vpright man buildeth vpon the rocke and therefore no temptations shall vtterly ouercome him He is not onely in the Church but also of it and therefore certainely shall remaine in the communion of the Church and whosoeuer continueth to the end he shall
specially to liue or to walke in a calling or else to professe religion Hereupon in the Scriptures our life or course of liuing our vocation our religion is called a way But the generall signification which comprehendeth the other best fitteth this place This word therefore the holy Ghost doth vse to teach vs that this life of ours is a way and that we are way-faring men whom it behoueth to be vpright in our way as the Psalmist elsewhere speaketh Now if we be trauellours or way-faring men we are to be carefull of three things First that we go in the right way For if we go out of our way the farther we go the farther we shall be from our iourneys end And therefore as Christ himselfe exhorteth enter yea striue to enter at the narrow gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way which leadeth vnto destruction and many there be which go in thereat because strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth vnto life and few there be that find it This way is the true religion of Christ which in the Scriptures is called the way the way of life the way of peace the way of saluation teaching two things especially repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Iesus Christ. For by faith we come vnto Christ who is the way the truth and the life and by repentance we bring forth the fruits of faith namely good workes which God hath prepared for vs that we should walke in them This as I say is the way let vs walke therein 2. The next thing whereof we must be carefull is that being set in the right way we go forward therein proceeding from faith to faith and from a lesse measure of grace vnto a greater till at length we come to a perfect or growne stature in Christ. For neither must we stand still in this way neither must we go backe for if we do so how shall we come to our iourney 's end The Apostle Paule although he had proceeded very farre in this way he thought it not his duty to surcease but the nearer he came to his marke the more he striueth towards it forgetting those things which â—e behind And thereupon inferreth whosoeuer therefore are perfect or growne men let them be of this mind Must those that are perfect be of this mind how much more behooueth it vs who are but of small growth in comparison to giue all diligence that we may increase and grow vp in grace that as the Apostle exhorteth we may abound more For not to go forward in this way is as one faith to go backward euen as a boat which is caried against a swift streame either it is rowed forward or else it runneth backward We must take heed therefore leâ—t we be non-proficients and let vs feare lest when we cease to be better we begin to be worse The third thing is that we be vpright in the way neither treading awry by secret dissembling nor halting downeright betwixt God and Mammon betwixt Christ and Antichrist As the Israelites in Achabs time halted betweene God and Baal and those counterfeit Christians of whom Paule complaineth Phil. 3. there be many saith he which walke that is maketh a profession of Religion of whom I haue told you heretofore and now I tell you weeping that they are enemies to the Crosse of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their belly and their glory is to their shame who mind earthly things But of Integrity we are to speake more at large forasmuch as it is here set downe as the first and principall marke of a true Christian. The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is vsually translated perfect not that it signifieth such an one as is altogether free from sinne or is indued with righteousnesse for so this note would agree to no man liuing For who can say that his heart is cleane yea if we say that we haue no sinne saith Iohn the beloued of Christ we deceiue ourselues and there is no truth in vs for in many things we offend all and there is not a righteous man vpon earth which doth good and sinneth not But it signifieth him who in the desire and purpose of his heart is free from hypocrisie dissimulation and guile whom we call Vpright For Nâ—ah Iacob Iob Dauid Ezechias and others are said in the Scriptures to haue bene perfect that is vpright men who all notwithstanding had their faults Yea Asa is said 2. Chron. 15. to haue had a perfect or vpright heart all the dayes of his life and yet in the next Chapter there are recorded three sinnes of his together that he rested vpon the King of Syria that he committed the Prophet to prison that in his sicknesse he trusted in the Physitions more than in God The perfection therfore which is signified in this word is not so much to be measured by the goodnes of the outward act or worke but by the vnfained will sincere desire and vpright indeuour aspiring towards perfection For the Lord accepting the will for the deed esteemeth of the sincere will and vnfained indeuour for perfect obedience in his children insomuch that vprightnesse euery where in the old Testament goeth vnder the name of perfection and those things which are done with an vpright and entire heart are sayd to be done with the whole heart and with a perfect heart Thamim therfore we may rightly interpret vpright that is void of dissumulation and it may be two wayes considered as it is referred to God and so it signifieth sincere or void of hypocrisie as it is referred towards men and so it signifieth simple or void of guile So that he in this place is said to bee vpright who is void of hypocrisie towards God and free from guile towards men And first we are to speake of vprightnesse in respect of God in handling whereof I purpose to obserue this order First to shew what it is Secondly that it is as here it is made a note proper to the children of God And thirdly because we are not to be idle hearers of this discourse we are to try and examine our selues whether this note agreeth vnto vs or not And fourthly if we do find our defectiuenesse therein either in whole or in part we are by certaine forcible arguments to be stirred vp to embrace it And lastly we are to shew the means whereby to obtaine it 1. What vprightnesse is towards God it may be gathered by those phrases of speech whereby it is expressed in the Scriptures For first to be vpright it is to walke with God or before God as the Lord saith to Abraham Walke before me and be vpright that is so to lead our liues as in the sight and presence of God who seeth the hearts and searcheth the reynes of men when as the Scripture therefore sayth
be saued Againe doth the holy ghost call any blessed that are not heires of the kingdome of heauen But the vpright are by the testimonie of the holy ghost happie and blessed Blessed are those that are vpright in their way Blessed are those in whose heart there is no guile that is hypocrisie And to this purpose belongeth that testimony of Salomon as Tremellius readeth the just man that walketh in his vprightnesse is blessed blessed are his children after him And yet the holy ghost is more plain in testifying this truth Prou. 28. 18. He that walketh vprightly shall be saued Psal. 140. 13. The vpright shall dwell in thy presence But most plaine Mat. 5. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart for so hee calleth the vpright for they shall see God they shall haue the vision of God and enjoy his glorious presence in the fruition whereof consisteth our eternall happinesse And therefore most fitly not onely in this place but elsewhere also in the Scriptures is Vprightnesse made the note and cognisance of the sonnes and heires of God For this cause Israel is called Ieschurun to signifie that whosoeuer is a true Israelite is vpright Iacob himselfe is commended for this vertue And of those that are pure in heart it is said Psal. 24 This is Iacob So Psal. 73 when the Prophet had said that God is good to Israel in the next words he expoundeth whom he meant by Israel namely the pure in heart So also our Sauiour Christ speaking of Nathaniel Behold saith he a true Israelite in whom there is no guile For as the Apostle saith he is not a Iew which is one outward but he is a Iew which is one within that is to say the vpright 3. Seeing then as we haue heard all that are vpright are citisens of heauen and contrariwise all that be citisens of heauen be vpright it behooueth vs diligently to trie and examine our selues whether this note doth belong vnto vs or not For vnlesse we be vpright wee shall not rest in Gods holy mountaine but must looke to haue our portion with hypocrits where is weeping and gnashing of teeth To this purpose I will set down certaine signes and tokens whereby the vpright and the hypocrits may be discerned 1. And first the studie and endeuour of the vpright is to approue himselfe to God to walke before him to discharge a good conscience the testimonie wherof he greatly esteemeth and preferreth it to the judgements of men concerning himselfe On the other side the hypocrites care is to approue himselfe to men neglecting the testimony of his owne conscience and therefore those good things which he doth he doth to be seene of men and the euill which he omitteth he leaueth vndone least he should be seene of men for if men be not acquainted with his doings he neither careth to doe good nor feareth to doe euill 2. It is the propertie of vpright men to yeeld simple and absolute obedience to the word of God denying themselues their owne affections and reason but to obey humane precepts so farre forth as they are not repugnant to the law of God But it is the fashion of hypocrits to obey the commaundements of God so further than themselues thinke good as appeareth in the example of Saul and more strictly to obserue the traditions of men than the commaundements of God 3. A third signe of an vprightman is so to contemn the world and to be wained from worldly desires as that hee preferreth the keeping of a good conscience before the obtaining of any worldly desires knowing that it will not profit a man to gaine the whole world and to loose his owne soule For he that is not addicted to the world it is a good sign that he professeth religion not for worldly and by-respects But the hypocrits guise is to seeme religious and to be a wordling to professe religion and to mind earthly things to diuide himselfe betwixt God and Mammon to giue to God the outward shew to the world his heart not first and principally to seeke the kingdome of God his righteousnesse but to professe religion in a secondarie respect so farre forth as it jumpeth with the fruition of his worldly desires and consequently to preferre the gaine of the world before the keeping of a good conscience and to be ready to sinne that he may obtaine any worldly desire 4. The propertie of an vpright man is to hate sinne as well in himselfe as in others and to bee exercised in judging himselfe But the manner of hypocrits is to hate sinne in others but not in themselues to be busie in prying into other mens behauiour and to neglect their owne to be quick-sighted to discerne and very censorious to judge the offences of their brethren but haue neither eyes to see nor consciences to condemne their owne sinnes and as our Sauiour Christ saith of such hypocrits to see a mote in their brothers eye and not to discerne a beame in their owne 5. The vpright man repenteth of all sinne hauing an vnfained purpose and resolution to abstaine from all sinne and not to retain any one howsoeuer besides and contrary to his purpose hee may faile in some particulars But the hypocrite howsoeuer he may be brought to abstaine from diuerse sinnes whereunto he is not so much addicted yet he will be sure to cherish and retain some sinne or sinnes that are more deare vnto him from which he will by no meanes be reclaimed Example in Herod who reuerenced Iohn Baptist and when he heard him did many things which Iohn aduised him vnto and heard him gladly but doe Iohn what he could he would not forgoe Herodias his brothers wife 6. It is the propertie of the vpright to loue and reuerence the good and godly for their godlinesse sake and to contemne and despise the wicked though mightie in the world because of their wickednesse as it followeth Vers. 4 For the world doth loue her own and hateth those which belong to Christ. But hereby we know that we are translated from death to life because we loue the brethren But it is the manner of hypocrits to stomacke the godly to enuie thē which are better than they and not to brooke them that be had in better estimation than themselues And thus were the Pharisies affected to Christ. 7. It is the propertie of the vpright to preferre the greater weightier duties before the lesse the substance before circumstances the workes either of pietie or mercie before ceremonies But it hath alwayes beene the hypocrits guise to neglect the greater duties and to affect the obseruation of the lesse to preferre circumstances before the substance and ceremonies before the workes either of pietie or charitie to place the height of their religion either in obseruing or vrging ceremonies or contrariwise in refusing them and inueighing
thing for whereas it is sayd of Eâ—och Gen. 5. that he walked before God that is that hee liued vprightly it is by the Apostle thus expounded That he was sayd to haue pleased God And the Hebrew word which signifieth to be right or vpright doth signifie also to please that we may know that he which is right before God doth please him As it is sayd in the Prouerbes They which are peruerse in heart are an abhomination vnto the Lord but such as are vpright in their way are his delight Now this must needs be an excellent virtue that goeth vnder the name of perfection which the Lord esteemeth as the inward beautie of his spouse which is not onely pleasing vnto God but as it were the pleasing of him But let vs come to the profit by which consideration most are led as it is sayd Psal. 4. There be many that say who will shew vs any good that is profit The profit of vprightnesse may be shewed first in generall that God is good and gracious to theÌ„ that are vpright As the Psalmist after many conflicts at length resolueth Psa. 73. 1. But yet God is good to Israell to those that are pure in heart And this goodnesse he manifesteth by doing good to them and causing all things to worke together for their good according to the prayer of Dauid Psal. 125. Do good O Lord to those that are good and vpright in heart but those that turne aside by their crooked wayes them shall the Lord send away with the workers of iniquity Neither is the goodnesse of God sparing towards them For he is a Sunne that is an author and giuer of all comfortable blessings and a shield that is a protector of them from all euill He giueth grace and glory and no good thing doth he with-hold from those that walke vprightly More specially the benefits wherewith the Lord doth crowne the vpright are either temporall or spirituall For as salomon saith Prou. 2. The Lord hath laid vp for the vpright substance that is whatsoeuer is truly good and verse 21. The righteous shall inhabit the land and the vpright men shall remaine in it And as the Lord bestoweth good things vpon the vpright so he preserueththem from euill and is therefore sayd to be â— shield to them that walke vprightly or as Dauid saith My shield is in God who giueth saluation or preserueth the vpright in heart according to the saying of the Prophet Hanani The eyes of the Lord saith he behold all the earth to shew himselfe strong with them that haue a perfect that is an vpright heart towards him The spirituall blessings which God bestoweth on the vpright are as the Psalmist speaketh Grace Glory Grace in this life Glory in the life to come The graces which God bestoweth on the vpright are many for sanctifying graces are so linked together as it were in a golden chaine that where some be in truth as they are in the vpright all are in some measure Among many others these spirituall blessings accompany vprightnesse Comfort in affliction and Ioy in the holy Ghost and which before I spake of Confidence or spirituall securitie in worshipping the Lord without feare which is the blessednesse promised to the faithfull in all nations in Abrahams seed according to the exposition of Zacharias Luk. 1. and also Constancy and Perseuerance As touching the former before not touched Forasmuch as the vpright building not vpon the sand but vpon the rocke haue layd a good foundation against the day of triall therefore when as they are afflicted they faint not neither are ouermuch discouraged but with Dauid in his greatest distresse do comfort themselues in the Lord their God 1. Sam. 30. 6. And being assured that the Lord will cause all things euen their afflictions to worke to their good they resolue with Iob to put their trust in him though he kill them But the vpright haue not onely comfort but ioy also in the holy Ghost For God doth giue to him that is good in his sight that is to the vpright wisedome and knowledge and ioy For the vpright haue a good conscience and a good conscience is a continuall feast For this is our reioycing saith the Apostle the testimony of our conscience that we haue had our conuersation in simplicitie and godly purenesse And this was Ezechias his stay when he had receiued the sentence of death and which he vsed as an argument vnto the Lord to obtaine the lengthning of his life and preuailed Lord saith he I beseech thee remember how I haue walked before thee in truth and with an vpright heart and haue done that which is good in thy sight For howsoeuer the vpright are sometimes vnder the crosse yet there is light sowne for the righteous and ioy for the vpright in heart which in due time will sprout forth yea in the mids of their affliction they do reioyce knowing that tribulation bringeth forth patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed And seeing the vpright do with Dauid set the Lord alwayes before their eyes for he is at their right hand therefore they must say with him I shall not be remoued wherefore my heart is glad and my tongue reioyceth my flesh also doth rest in hope With these and such like blessings the Lord doth reward the vpright in this life for after this life eternall saluation abideth them He that walketh vprightly saith Salomon shall be saued but he that is peruerse or walketh peruersly in two waies as double minded men do he shal fall in one or as some read at once And to omit other testimonies the holy Ghost testifieth in this place That he which walketh vprightly shal dwell in the holy mountaine of God Finally to conclude all blessings vnder one blessednesse it selfe is promised to the vpright Blessed are those which are vpright in their way Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God And this blessednesse doth not onely belong to themselues but it redoundeth also to their posteritie Blessed is the iust man that walketh in his vprightnesse and blessed are his children after him And againe The generation of the vpright shall be blessed But it may be you expect examples which one calleth the hostages of our speech whereby that may appeare in particuler experience which the Lord hath confirmed in generall promise Let Noah therefore be an example whom the Lord because of his vprightnesse preserued in the vniuersall deluge And likewise vpright Abraham to whom the Lord was a shield and an exceeding great reward Dauid professeth that for as much as he was vpright before God the Lord therefore rewarded him according to his righteousnesse and the purenesse of his hands in his sight And the same is confessed by Salolon his sonne Thou
hast sayth he vnto the Lord shewed vnto thy seruant Dauâ—d my father great mercy when he walked before thee in truth and in righteousnesse and in vprightnesse of heart with thee Of Ezechias you heard before But omitting other examples let vs call to mind the example of Enoch by which being the first in this kind we may best conceiue what account the Lord maketh of Integritie For when as he walked before God vprightly the Lord did therfore translate him out of this valley of teares that he should not see death and assumed him into heauen where he might inioy immortall glorie But if neither the golden reason of excellency can moue vs nor the siluer reason of profit allure vs then must the yron reason of necessitie enforce vs to Integrity and vprightnesse of heart For first such is the necessity thereof that without Integritie the best graces we seeme to haue are counterfeit and therefore but glorious sinnes the best worship we can performe is but hypocrisie and therefore abhominable in Gods sight For vprightnesse is the soundnesse of all graces and virtues as also of all religion and worship of God without which they are vnsound and nothing worth And first as touching graces if they be not ioyned with vprightnesse of hart they are sinnes vnder the maskes or vizards of virtue yea as it may seeme double sinnes for as Augustine sayth Simulata aequitas est duplex iniquitas quia iniquitas est simulatio Fained equitie is double iniquity both because it is iniquitiâ— and because it is â—aining Wherefore in the Scriptures it is required that our faith should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnfained that is such a faith as inwardly purifieth the hart and outwardly worketh by loue otherwise it is not a true and a liuely but a counterfeit and dead faith Likewise our loue must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnfained that is as Iohn saith we must loue not in speech and tongue but in deed and truth Or as Paul speaketh our loue must proceed from a pure heart a good conscience and â—aith vnfained Our wisedome also must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without dissimulation not that mixt or Machiuilian prudence which politicke men in the world so greatly praise being mixed with hypocrisie and deceit but that prudence of serpents tempered with the simplicitie of Doues otherwise it is as Iames saith earthly carnall and diuellish Lastly our repentance and conuersion vnto God must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnfained and from our whole hart For it is not the renting of the garments but of the heart that pleaseth God Neither is it the bowing of the head like a Bul-rush but the humiliation the melting the contrition of the heart that is acceptable before him Such as was the repentance of Iosiah 2. King 22. not as that of Achab 1. King 21. nor yet as that of the dissembling Israelites who made semblance of repentance and turning to God but their heart was not vpright with him If therefore without vprightnesse our faith be dead our loue cold our wisedome diuellish our repentance counterfeit then is vprightnes no lesse necessary to saluation then I say not any one of these graces but theÌ„ all But as those graces which we may seeme to haue without vprightnes are couÌ„terfeit so our religion worship of God without it is hipocrisie For although it be the common practise of meÌ„ not only to content themselues with a profession of religion pietie towards God neglecting the duties of charitie towards men but also to rest in an outward and bodily worship notwithstanding it is no true religion before God which is altogether wanting in the duties of charitie neither is the outward worship without the inward acceptable vnto God This is notably declared in the Prophecy of Micah where to the hypocrite demanding wherewith he should come before the Lord and bow himselfe before the high God and making large offers if outward seruice would stand for good payment Shall I come before him saith he with burnt offerings and Calues of a yeare old will the Lord he pleased with thousands of Rammes or with ten thousand riuers of oyle shall I giue my first borne for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sinne of my soule Answer is made He hath shewed thee ô man what is good and what the Lord requireth of thee surely towards men to do iustly and to loue mercie and towards God to humble thyselfe to walke with thy God The reasonable seruice that is the spirituall worship of God is that liuing holy and acceptable sacrifice vnto God For God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth As for bodily exercise that profiteth little yea if it be seuered from the spirituall it hurteth much Therefore the Prophet denounceth the fearefull judgements of God against those who comming neere vnto him with their mouth and honoring him with their lippes do notwithstanding remoue their heart farre from him But the truth of this doctrine will more clearely appeare if we shall descend into the particuler consideration of the seuerall parts of Gods worship As first of prayer to the acceptable performance whereof there is required vprightnesse not onely in the action it selfe but also in the life of him that prayeth For as touching the action it selfe it is not sufficient to moue the lippes or to vtter a certaine number of words as Papists and other hopocrites do but our prayer if it shall be acceptable must also be a prayer of the heart and of the spirit a lifting vp of the soule a lifting vp of the heart with the hands a pouring forth of the soule before the Lord and to pray aright is to pray with our whole heart with an vpright heart out of a pure heart with lippes vnfained finally it is to pray in truth that is in vprightnesse and to this vpright prayer is the promise of hearing our prayer restrained Psal. 145. 18. The Lord is neere to them that call vpon him What to all yea to all saith the Prophet of purpose excluding hypocrites that call vpon him in truth For the Lord in our prayers doth not so much regard our tongue as our heart As for them which draw neare vnto the Lord with their lippes and are remooued from him in their heart they abuse the Maiesty of God whiles crying vnto him but not from their hearts they lye vnto God and go about to deceiue him with their lippes and by their hypocrisie to cast as it were a mist before his eyes But herein they are greatly deceiued For how soeuer masking vnder the vizards of hypocrisie they may hide themselues from men yet before God such maskers do as it were daunce in a net for before him all things
in the day of judgement shall say Lord Lord haue not we prophecied in thy name and cast our diuels in thy name and done many great workes in thy name to whom the Lord shall answere I neuer knew you depart from mee you workers of iniquitie Call to mind the fiue foolish virgins who hauing lampes but no oyle were excluded If therefore we would not depart ashamed from our Sauiour Christ at his comming wishing the mountaines to fall vpon vs and to couer vs from his sight but would stand before the sonne of man with comfort let vs endeuour to approoue our selues in the meane time to Christ our judge walking before him in vprightnesse of heart and so demeaning our selues as those who thinke that of their most secret thoughts words and deeds there must an account be giuen to God who searcheth the heart and trieth the reines that he may giue euery man according to his waies and according to the fruit of his workes Fourthly and lastly let vs follow the aduise of Salomon Prou. 4. Aboue all obseruation to keepe our heart For the heart as it is the fountaine of life so of liuing well or ill from whence all our speeches and actions as it were streames doe flow and proceed Those things which come out of the mouth sayth our Sauiour Christ come from the heart For out of the heart come euill thoughts murders adulteries fornications thefâ—s false testimonies slaunders And againe The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth â—oorth good things and the euill man out of the euill treasure of his heart bringeth forth euill things for out of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh and also the hand worketh If therefore we desire that our actions and speeches may bee good and pure wee must first haue our hearts purified by a true faith that so our loue and obedience may flow from a pure heart and good conscience and faith vnfained For it cannot be that the streames of our actions should be good and sincere if the fountaine of our heart be corrupt Wherefore in reforming our liues our first and chiefe care must be for the purging of our hearts as our Sauior Christ admonisheth Mat. 23. Cleanse first saith he the inside of the cup and platter that the outside of them may be cleane also And Iames Purge your heart you double minded saith he and not your hands onely For what will it auaile vs to drie vp the streames whiles the fountaine springeth or to lop off the boughs whiles the body and root doe remaine vntouched Surely if with Amaziah we shall doe those things which be right but not with an vpright heart we shall fall away as he did If with Simon Magus we professe our selues to beleeue and joyne our selues to the Saints of God notwithstanding we may be as he was in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquitie if our heart be not vpright within vs. This neglect of the heart is the cause of all hypocrisie making men double minded bearing as wee say two faces vnder a hood Wherby it commeth to passe that the most glorious professours sometimes become like to Summer fruit which many times being faire and mellow on the outside is rotten at the core Now that we may the rather be stirred vp to a diligent obseruation of our heart we are briefely to consider these two things First that the heart of man is deceitfull and wicked aboue all things and therefore cannot sufficiently be watched And secondly that such as is the qualitie of the heart such is the qualitie of the man in the estimation of God Hetherto we haue spoken of integritie as it is referred vnto God it followeth now that wee should intreat thereof as it hath reference vnto men For as wee must walke before God in truth and sinceritie without hypocrisie so must we haue our conuersation among men in simplicitie and singlenesse of heart without dissembling or guile For euen in our conuersation among men wee are to haue God alwayes before our eyes that as in his presence and sight wee may in singlenesse of heart performe such duties as we owe vnto men For howsoeuer simplicitie is accounted folly in the world and worldly wisedome consisting of dissimulation and deceit be euery where extolled yet if we would be esteemed citisens of heauen and pilgrims on earth it behooueth vs to bee fooles in the world that we may become truly wise as the Apostle exhorteth 1. Cor. 3. Let no man deceiue himselfe If any man among you seeme to be wise in this world let him be a foole that he may be wise for the wisdome of this world is foolishnesse with God Not that I would haue simple men to be fooles but that wise men ought to be simple For true wisdome is tempered with the simplicitie of doues And that wisedome which is from aboue is pure and without hypocrisie Whereas on the other side the wisedome of the world consisting of dissimulation and deceit is by the censure of S. Iames earthly carnall and diuellisâ— It is true indeed that in the world simplicitie is deemed folly and simple men are accounted as idiots and innocent men esteemed fools For such a generall wickednesse hath possessed the minds of most men that now adayes no man is called innocent but such as want wit to doe euill And contrariwise that mixed prudence is commended in the world which is â—oyned with hâ—pocrisie and deceit Which notwithstanding it were easie for any man to attain vnto who makes no conscience of dissembling lying facing sweaâ—ing forswearing But in the Scriptures simplicitie is both commended and commaunded as a note of the citisen of heauen without which there is no entrance for a man into the kingdome of God Christ commaundeth his followers to be wise indeed as serpents but withall to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is simple or sincere without any mixture of guile as doues are without gall And likewise Paule would haue vs wise vnto that which is good but simple vnto euill In regard hereof the primitiue Church Act. 2. is highly commended that they conuersed together in singlenesse of heart and herein especially the Apostle glorieth 2. Cor. 1. That in simplicitie and godly purenesse and not in flesâ—ly wisedome he had had his conuersation in the world And no maruell for it is the note of a true Israelite to be without guile and such the holy ghost pronounceth blessed Christ our Sauiour in respect of this simplicitie is called a lambe and those that will be his followers must not be foxes or wolues but as they are called in the Scriptures sheepe following the steps of our Sauiour Christ who did no sinne neither was there guile found in his mouth And hereunto let vs adde the testimonie of the holy ghost in this place affirming That those which shall
person or by a more ciuill honest man who is void of faith of religion of the loue and feare of God although materially they be good yet are they euill as they proceed from him For whiles the tree is euill the fruit cannot be good whiles the person is not accepted as just in Christ as none but the faithfull are his actions cannot be acceptable for without faith it is impossible to please God And this is that which the Apostle saith that the end and consummation of the commandement is loue out of a pure heart a good conscience and faith vnsained In respect of the manner our good workes must be performed vprightly not in hypocrisie and dissimulation otherwise it is vnfained and counterfeit For though we doe that which is right yet if we doe it not with an vpright heart we doe it not rightly neither can we be sayd to worke righteousnesse In respect of the end we are to perfome good workes that by the discharge of our duty God may be glorified But if our end be to be seene of men if to win praise and glorie to our selues if to merit of God and as it were to bridle him by our good deed all our workes though neuer so glorious in the eyes of the world yet are they splendida peccata that is to say glorious sinnes To this purpose we are to remember that we are to worship God not onely in holinesse but in righteousnesse also and we worship him in righteousnesse when as in a sincere obedience to God we seeke by performing the duties of righteousnesse to our brother to glorifie God From this note therefore of Gods children we distinguish the seeming good workes first of infidels without the Church or of more naturall men within because there can be no true righteousnesse or loue of men without faith pietie and loue of God Secondly of hypocrâ—tes and dissemblers who do no good but for sinister and by-respects and therefore their righteousnesse being hypocrisie is double injustice Lastly of all Pharisaicall and Popish justiciaries who by their good workes thinke such is their Satanicall pride to make God beholding vnto them and to merit heauen to themselues most sacrilegiously injuriously vnto Christ our Sauiour placing the matter of their justification and the merit of their saluation in themselues In a word that is no true righteousnesse which is seuered from holinesse neither is that a worke of righteousnesse which is not a righteous worke rightly done as that is not which is done in hypocrisie or to an ill end He therefore vndoubtedly is the sonne and heire of God who professing the true faith laboureth to demonstrat his faith by good works his faith working by loue and his loue proceeding from faith vnfained who in vpright obedience towards God seeketh by the exercise of righteousnesse and discharge of his dutie towards his neighbour to glorifie God The third note of the child God is Truth which the holy ghost expresseth in these words and speaketh the truth in his heart Which words sayth Augustine are not thus to be vnderstood as though keeping the truth in the heart we should vtter vntruth with our mouth But the holy ghost vseth this phrase of speech because a man may with his mouth vtter the truth which will nothing auaile him if he hold not the same in his heart Wherefore although this phrase of speaking the truth in his heart seeme somewhat harsh notwithstanding if it be rightly vnderstood it doth more fully expresse the disposition of a man which is addicted to the truth than if it had been said from the heart Thus therefore I read who speaketh the truth which is in his hâ—rt that is who vttereth with his tongue the truth which he hath conceiued in his mind For that we may be vcraces that is speakers of the truth there is a double conformitie or agreement required which is here expressed the one of the speech with the mind namely that we should speak as we thinke the other of the mind with the thing it selfe namely that wee should conceiue in our mind according to the truth of the matter For as the rule and measure of truth in words is the agreement of them with our thoughts so the rule and measure of truth in our thoughts is the agreement thereof with the things themselues It is true indeed that in some sciences either agreement alone sufficeth vnto the truth as in morall philosophy he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a speaker of the truth who speaketh as he thinketh although perhaps he thinketh otherwise than the thing it selfe is And in Logicke he is said to speake the truth who speaketh as the thing is although perhaps he thinketh otherwise But in diuinitie both as I said is required Neither can we be said if either be wanting to be veraces that is such as speake the truth which is in our heart for he which deliuereth an vntruth supposing it to bee true howsoeuer hee bee free from the vanitie of lying yet he cannot be said to bee a speaker of the truth for in his mouth he vttereth an vntruth though in his heart he be well affected to the truth Contrariwise he that speaketh the truth which he thinketh to be false he is a lyar though he speake the truth because he hath truth in his mouth but not in his heart Such a one therefore because hee speaketh with an heart and an heart may not vnworthily be said to lie For mentâ—ri est contra mentemire to lie is to speake otherwise than a man thinketh Wherefore that a man may bee said to speake the truth which is in heart there is a double agreement required the one of the tongue with the mind the other of the mind with the things themselues And to this double conformitie in speaking the truth there is opposed a double falshood namely when a man speaketh either that which is false or falsely He speaketh that which is false who speaketh otherwise than the thing is whether he thinkes it to be so or otherwise He speaketh falsely who speaketh otherwise than hee thinketh He which speaketh a falshood supposing it to be true is not so much to be blamed for lying as for vnaduifednesse and rashnesse For we ought to be sure of those things which we affirme But he which either speaketh that which hee knoweth to bee false or speaketh that which is true falsely that is animo fallendi with a purpose to deceiue as the diuell sometimes doth he is a lyar neither can you easily determine whether is in the greater fault for as the one hath lesse truth in his mouth so the other hath more deceit in his heart Now that the loue of the truth and likewise the detestation of falshood is to be reckoned among the notes of Gods children it is testified not onely in this place but also elsewhere in the Scriptures Zeph. 3. The remnant of Israell that is
the true members of the Church which shall remaine shall not speake lies neither shall a deceitfull tongue bee found in their mouth And Prou. 13. A righteous man hateth lying words but a wicked man is so addicted vnto lying that he stinketh as it were and is confounded And whereas it is said in the end of the Psalme He that doth these things shall neuer be remooued The same is testified by Salomon Pro. 12. The lip of truth meaning thereby the man which speaketh the truth shall be established for euer And whereas in the beginning of the Psalme it is promised that he shal rest in the mountaine of Gods holinesse the same we read performed Apoc. 14. where it is said of those 144000 in whose mouth was found no guile that they were redeemed from among men being the first fruits vnto God and the lambe But it will be obiected that euery man is a lyar according to that of the Apostle Let God be true and euery man a lyar If therefore none shall dwell in the holy mountaine of God but such as are speakers of the truth who then shall be saued I answere that no man indeed vpon the earth may be said to be so perfectly true but that sometimes he faileth of infirmitie so farre hath the father of lies the diuell infected vs with his falshood But that if we aspire and contend towards that perfection embracing and louing the truth detesting and abhorring lies and haue a setled purpose and vnfained resolution to obserue the truth in all things so farre as God shall enable vs assuredly howsoeuer we may sometimes faile of infirmitie as Sara once did and Peter also through feare notwithstanding our infirmities being pardoned through and for the perfect obedience of Christ and our leasings couered with his veritie who is the truth the Lord will accept of vs in his fonne as those which speake the truth in their heart because the true desire and purpose of our heart is alwayes to obserue the truth For we must distinguish betwixt those who hating falshood doe sometimes though seldome fall thereinto and those which haue got a custome and habit of lying and are delighted with vntruth for the former may be verified of the faithfull but the latter cannot The vse which we are to make of this doctrine is this That seeing the truth of our speech is a matter of so great weight and consequence as that the holy ghost in this place hath set it downe as one of the marks of Gods children we are to be stirred vp to embrace the truth and to abhorre lies And to this purpose let vs in the first place consider that whereas the facultie of speech is of so great vse in our life as that without it wee should seeme to liue like beasts notwithstanding all this vse of our speech dependeth vpon the truth thereof For take away truth from the speech of men and it were better men should bee dumbe than able to speake Of truth therefore there is great necessitie not onely in religion for without the knowledge of the truth wee cannot attaine to saluation but also in our whole life Lying contrariwise peruerteth the vse of speech and maketh it not onely vnprofitable but hurtfull also it taketh away faith from among men and in a manner dissolueth humane societies which without mutuall contracts and negotiations wherein truth doth rule cannot be maintained c. Secondly whereas God is truth and the authour of all truth and contrariwise the diuell is a lyar and the father of lies let vs consider whose image it behooueth vs to represent for his children we are whose image we do bear the wit the children of God if we be speakers of the truth the children of the diuell if we be lyars Thirdly as there be two fathers of those which speake truly God and of lyars the diuell so there are two kingdomes whereunto all appertaine the kingdome of light and the kingdome of darkenesse The language or dialect of the former is truth of the latter lying If therefore thou wouldest know to whether kingdome thou doest appertaine thou mayest know by thy language Fourthly by the profession of the truth as our brother is profited so is Gods glory aduaunced but by lying wee sinne not onely against our neighbour but also against God Fiftly for those causes Truth in the Scripture is commended vnto vs and commaunded but vntruth is forbidden and condemned Wherefore saith the Apostle cast off lying and speake euery man the truth vnto his neighbour for we are members one of another Where the Apostle vseth two reasons first because we are renewed in the holinesse and righteousnesse of truth according to the image of God that we may be true as he is true Secondly because we are members of the same body and therefore ought to maintain truth among our selues But especially in the ninth commaundement is truth commanded and all falshood forbidden But it may be you desire testimonies of either seuerally As of truth commaunded Zachar. 8. These are the things that you shall doe Speake yee euery man the truth vnto his neighbour execute iudgement truly and vprightly in your gates And againe Therefore loue the truth and peâ—ce Of falshood forbidden Exod. 23. Thou shalt keepe thee farre â— verbo mendacâ— from a lying word Leu. 19. Ye shall not steale nor deale falsely nor lie one vnto another Where theft and lying as they vse to goe together so are they joyned as companions and hard it is to say whether is the worse sinne A lie sayth a wise man is a wicked shame in a man yet is it oft in the moâ—th of the vnwise A theefe is better than a man that is accuâ—tomed to lie but they both shall haue deâ—truction to heritage The conditions of lyars are vnhonest and their shame is euer with them And hereunto let vs adde that prohibition of the Apostle Col. 3. Lie not one to another hauing put off the old man with his practises and put on the new c. Sixtly as God doth loue the truth as being himselfe not onely true but truth it selfe so he abhorreth lying as one of the things which he especially hateth Seuenthly And hereunto accordeth the judgement also of all ingenious men euen among the heathen and others who commend truth as a most excellent vertue as a most sacred possession as the Sunne in the world as that one thing wherein men may become most like vnto God Wherefore Pythagoras being demaunded What that was in doing whereof men might especially be like vnto God answered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If they speake the truth And therefore another sayth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is alwaies best to speake the truth Contrariwise they condemne lying as a most foule and shamefull vice and vnworthy an honestman To lie sayth one is a base thing but truth is noble And
is vaine Againe the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie not onely against thy neighbour but also for him For the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth both to wit both against as Esay 59 Our sinnes do testifie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against vs and also for as Gen. 30 My righteousnesse shall answere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for me or shall testifie in my behalf In the ninth commaundement therefore is forbidden not onely false speech as euery lie is but also vaine speech as the jeasting lie commonly is and not onely that false or vaine speech which is against our neighbour but also that which is for him whether it be for his delight as the jeasting lie or for his profit as the officious lie Augustine out of the words of the Apostle I. Cor. 15. where the Apostle confesseth That if Christ be not risen againe then he and other the Apostles should be false witnesses of God For saith he we haue testified of or as the word may signifie against God that he hath raised vp Christ c. he gathereth that that is said to be a false testimonie against any which is falsely said in his praise Seeing therefore these two sorts of lies are forbidden in the decalogue it is euident by the confession of the Schoolemen themselues that they are not onely sinnes but also mortall sinnes 2. Againe a lie is euill in generall and is generally forbidden in the Scriptures Apoc. 21. to all yers without exception eternall death is denounced And agreeably to the Scriptures the sonne of Syrach 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Doe not thou make no manner of lie The Hebrew word which signifieth a lie signifieth iniquitie that wee might vnderstand euery lie to be a sinne 3. Euery lie is against nature For seeing words naturally are the notes of our thoughts as the Philosopher saith it is against nature and against dutie that a man should signifie in words that which he doth not thinke in his heart or that the will should direct the tongue to vtter that which is contrarie to the illumination of the mind Whereupon the Philosopher sayth That euery lie is in it owne nature euill and to be auoided 4. Augustine reasoneth thus The truth teacheth not that we may lie at any time for no lie is of the truth Therefore it is not true that we may lie at any time 5. We can doe nothing sayth the Apostle against the truth but for the truth 2. Cor. 13 but euery lie is against the truth yea vpon euery lie followeth the losse of truth which to God is most deere 6. Againe sayth Augustine the law is the truth Psal. 119. yea God is the truth therefore that which is against truth is against the law yea and against God 7. And hereunto wee may adde the testimonies of Augustine No lies are iust for all are sinnes 8. And of Gregorie Euery lie is iniquitie for so much it dissenteth from equitie as it discordeth from veritie For whatsoâ—uer is opposed to vertue is sinne euery lie is opposed to truth which is a vertue therefore euery lie is a sinne 9. Euery lie is of the diuell therefore euill Iohn 8. 44. 10. The conscience of euery man when he lieth accuseth him of sinne But let vs consider them seuerally And first as touching the merry lie we are to hold a distinction namely that there is a merry lie which vnproperly is called a lie when as in shew of words a false thing is vttered but yet by the jesture or pronuntiation of him that so jeasteth it may appeare that something else which is true is signified by him and that such a jeast as vnder the shew of an vntruth doth hide a truth may sometimes be vsed of a Christian man I dare not denie But that which properly and in the meaning of the speaker is a lie may in no sort be vsed of a Christian. First because it is not onely false but also vaine and idle and if of idle words an account must be giuen how much more of lies Secondly the Prophet Hoseas inueigheth against those who with their lies make princes merry Now if princes to whom being oppressed with great cares mirth is most needfull may not be made merry with lies who then may Thirdly a lie may not be vttered to helpe a man or to deliuer him out of danger as shall straightwaies be shewed mueh lesse may it be told to delight him For as the schoolemen truly say Bonum utile prefertur delectabili a profitable good is preferred before a delightfull nay the truth it selfe is not spoken to the end to delight men as Augustine sayth much lesse may a lie Fourthly Epaminondas the heathen man shall rise in judgement against those who make no conscience of speaking merry lies for he was so strict an obseruer and louer of the truth that hee could not abide that a lie should be spoken no not in jeast And to these reasons you may adde those arguments which before were produced to prooue a lie generally to be euill But the chiefe controuersie is concerning the officious lie for therein now adayes the policie of worldly men especially consisteth But let vs see by what arguments they commend this office forsooth of lying First because it is not against Christian charitie say they to help our brother with a lie yea but Christian charitie say I abhorreth lying and rejoyceth in the truth and those which are Christians so long as they keepe a good conscience they can do nothing against the truth but for the truth 2. Yea the honest friendship of Heathen men was contained within the limits of truth The Philosopher in his Morals professeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be a godly thing to prefer the truth before his friends And those which were of the better sort among them were wont to professe themselues friends one to another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnto the altars to which they vsually came when they were to testifie a truth that it may be a shame for Christian men in respect of friendship to goe beyond the bonds of truth 3. Christian Charitie requireth not onely that wee should do good but also that we should do it well and by good means For this a rule in Diuinity that Euill is not to be done that Good may come thereof Those things only which are good and lawfull are to be done of vs committing the euent to God 4. Christian charitie doth not require that for another mans commodity thou shouldest cast away thy selfe But God will destroy those which speake lies and as the wise man saith The lying mouth destroyeth the soule Secondly they proue this kind of lying to be lawfull by the examples of the godly For first say they Abraham the father of the faithfull that he might escape danger said that his wife
of his life notwithstanding seeing it so neerly concerned the glory of God the good of his followers and the conuiction of his aduersaries he made a notable confession of the truth And that the truth sometimes may be concealed it may be proued by the authoritie of God himselfe For when as the Lord appointed Samuel to go to Bethlehem to annoint Dauid king Samuel desired to be informed how that might safely be done for if Saul should heare thereof he would be sure to kill him The Lord therefore teacheth him this godly pollicy Thou shalt take an heifer with thee and say I am come to sacrifice or as some read to selebrate a feast to the Lord. Whereas therefore Samuel was sent to Bethlehem for two causes he was by the commandement of God to conceale the more principall which teacheth vs that the simplicity of doues is to be tempered with the wisedome of seruants The same is proued by the example of Abraham which himselfe doth justifie for whereas Sara was not onely his sister according to the Hebrew phrase but also his wife he professed the one that she was his sister and concealed the other that she was his wife when as therefore the profession of the truth not necessary is joyned with the damage or danger either of our selues or others and so is vnseasonable howsoeuer we may neither deny the truth nor vtter an vntruth yet we may or rather must conceale the truth either wholly or in part As for example An innocent man who is persecuted for righteousnesse sake is sought for by his persecutors that he may be brought to punishment committeth himselfe to your fidelitie and safe custody The persecutors come and demaund of you where this partie is What will you do in this case If you tell where he is you betray the innocent If you knowing where he is shall say you cannot tell where he is or shall say he is where you thinke he is not you shall lye Will you offend in lying against your owne soule or in treachery against the innocent Forsooth the circumstances are to be considered If you plainely see that notwithstanding whatsoeuer you shall say he cannot be concealed it is all one in respect of the innocent partie whether you conceale the truth or confesse it For neither by confessing the truth shall you betray him nor by concealing it saue him If it be doubtfull whether by concealing the truth he may be preserued or not hide the truth so much as thou mayst and by telling some other truth as Raâ—ab did diuert the fury of the persecutors another way But if the partie be so hid that vnlesse thou discouer him he cannot be found and perhaps thou be asked concerning the very place where he is whether he be there or not here if you say nothing you betray him if you say I cannot tell you lye Therefore as Augustine faith A man in such a case must say I know where he is but I will neuer tell you for which Christian humanitie whatsoeuer you shall constantly endure it is so far from being worthy of blame that it is to be commended And here unto belongeth that memorable example recorded by Augustine in the same place of a certaine Bishop Firmâ—â—s by name but more firme as he saith in resolution For when as messengers sent from a persecuting emperour enquired of him concerning a Christian whom he had hid as secretly as he could where he was he answered them that neither could he lie neither would he betray the man neither could they by any tortures make him to discouer the partie Whereupon they bring him to before the emperour who admiring the constancie and courage of the Bishop was content for his sake to pardon the other Likewise in heathen writers the constancy of Zeno the Philosopher is highly commended who rather than he would be forced by any tortures to vtter secrets against his will he did bite off his tongue and spit it in the tyrants face And thus much may suffice to haue spoken of the three generall notes this onely remaineth that we should apply them to our selues Wherefore from this proposition of the holy Ghost Those that walke vprightly worke righteousnesse embrace the truth are such as shall inherit the kingdome of heauen and reciprocally those that shall inherit the kingdome of heauen are such as walke vprightly exercise iustice speake the truth in their hearts let vs consider what euery mans conscience will assume for if thy conscience shall make this assumption But I walke vprightly worke righteousnesse embrace the truth though with great imperfection yet with my true endeuour and vnfained purpose and desire of mine heart then vpon these premises will follow this happy conclusion Therefore thou are one of those that shall inherit the kingdome of heauen But on the other side if this be the assumption which thy con-conscience maketh Thou playest the hypocrite before God and dealest deceitfully with men thou liuest vnjustly and followest after lies vpon these premises it will follow necessarily That thou art not such an one as shall inherit the kingdome of heauen And therefore as thou wouldest hope to be saued so repent of these sinnes and embrace the contrary vertues which are here set downe as the proper notes of Gods children But let vs come to the fourth note which as also the third whereof euen now I spake respecteth the tongue and the same in part may be sayd of the eight Now whereas the holy Ghost among the ten notes of Gods children taketh two or three from the toung it appeareth that great regard is to be had of the tongue For howsoeuer many make but light account of their words which are they say but wind notwithstanding the holy Ghost affirmeth that death and life are in the power of the tongue and as men loue to vse it so shall they eate the fruit thereof And Christ our Sauiour after he had said that men are to giue an account of their idle words he adjoyneth this reason for by thy words saith he thou shalt be iustified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned Wherefore let vs learne to gouerne our tongue otherwise we shall be conuicted by three notes out of this Psalme that we neither are sound members of the Church militant nor shall be inheritors of glory in the Church triumphant but rather shall shew our profession of religion though otherwise neuer so glorious to be but vaine For as Iames saith If any man among you seemeth religious and refraineth not his tongue but deceiueth his owne heart that mans religion is vaine Moreouer betwixt the third note and this fourth there is great assinitie For thereby are signified two duties of the tongue which may not be seuered the contrary affirmatiue being vnderstood vnder this negatiue namely that the speech of the vpright man concerning his neighbour is full of charitie whereby The is so farre from
vpon God as a witnesse of our true purpose to performe and as our surety for performance and as our judge or auenger if either we be deceitfull in promising or vnfaithfull in performing Now an oath was ordained to supplie the want of other arguments and the insufficiencie of humane testimonies to the end that a needfull truth which otherwise could not be knowne might by this meanes be acknowledged for an oath hath place neither in matters manifest nor generall as where is question of right but in things doubtfull and particular where is question of facts either past or to come Wherein when as they cannot by other certaine and necessarie arguments be demonstrated men flie to testimonies And because humane testimonies haue little force in prouing by themselues therefore they flie to oathes wherein God is called vpon as a witnesse of such matters as are either affirmed concerning things past or promised concerning things to come And so great religion there is of an oath among all men that euen by the law of nations that is held for certaine and true which is affirmed vnder the religion of an oath though otherwise it could not be proued For this is engrauen in the hearts of all men That there is a God to whom all secrets are knowne who also is the patron of truth and auenger of falshood and therefore to call vpon him as a witnesse and a judge in that which is not true it is supposed to be a greater sinne than any man that is not a desparat A theist may be thought to commit For may it be thought that any man almost is of such outragious wickednesse as that he feareth not to call vpon God whom he knoweth to be a defender of truth and reuenger of falshood to beare witnesse with him that he affirmeth the truth and to execute vengeance on him if he speake an vntruth when he knoweth himselfe to lie For what were this but wilfully to prouoke the Lord and as it were to dare him to execute his fierce indignation vpon him And hereby it appeareth that an oath is an holy ordinance of God seruing greatly for his glorie and for the profit and necessitie of men It is glorious vnto God because when men flie to the name of the Lord as a strong tower and sanctuarie of truth he is acknowledged not only by him that sweareth but also by them that receiue the oath to be first omnipresent and omniscient that is one who is present in euerie place and is acquainted with all secrets secondly true and a maintainer of truth and reuenger of falshood thirdly just and therefore willing omnipotent and therefore able to punish those that sweare falsly And these attributes of God are so acknowledged and celebrated in euerie lawfull oath that to sweare by the Lord is to confesse vnto God and in the Scriptures it is accounted as none of the meanest parts of his worship Thou shalt feare the Lord thy God and serue him and shalt sweare by his name Which must put vs in mind whensoeuer we do sweare that by our oath we are to glorifie God and to performe a solemne worship vnto him which was also further signified both by the solemne forme of imposing an oath and the solemne rite of taking an oath among the Iewes The forme of imposing an oath was this Giue glorie to God the maner in deposing was to stand before the Altar which was also the custome of the Athenians and Romans And as an oath is glorious vnto God so is it also profitable and necessarie for men For an oath being as one saith the greatest proofe among men it giueth satisfaction to our neighbour who otherwise would not be satisfied It is the chiefe bond of truth whereby men either bind themselues to God as in voluntarie oaths or are as it were enforced to speake the truth as in oaths imposed for as one well saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an oath is the freemans racke It is the chiefe preseruatiue against falshood the remedie against contention and as the Apostle saith The end of all controuersies among men These premisses duly considered it will not be hard to determine the former questions For as touching the first if an oath be as hath beene shewed an holy ordinance of God making greatly for the glory of God and profit of men then whosoeuer shal refuse to sweare when just and necessarie occasion is offered he sinneth against Gods glorie and the loue of his brethren Here therefore is to be refuted of vs the heresie of the Manichees renewed by the Anabaptists who thinke it altogether vnlawfull for a Christian to sweare though enjoyned thereto by a magistrat But they sinne against the third commaundement and they erre not knowing the Scriptures For where the Lord forbiddeth vs to sweare in vaine there he commaundeth vs to sweare aright for the discharge of our dutie in the confirmation of a necessarie truth to Gods glory the good of our neighbour or the clearing of our selues And surely if it were vnlawfull to sweare as they would beare vs in hand then should we by swearing offend either against the glory of God or the good of our brother But an oath as you haue heard maketh for both and by the neglect thereof wee sinne against both And that an oath is lawfull it may appeare by the examples of those whom we cannot deny to haue sworn lawfully For first the most faithfull seruants of God both before the law and since haue vsed vpon just occasion not onely themselues to sweare but also to impose oathes vpon others Examples of swearing in Abraham and Isaac to Abimelec Iacob to Laban Elias to Obadiah Elisha to Iehoram c. of oathes imposed by Abraham vpon his seruant Gen. 24 and by Iacob vpon Ioseph Gen. 47 by Ionathan and Dauid mutually 1. Sam. 20. And if it might be objected as truly it cannot that these seruants of the Lord in these oathes offended yet other examples may be added which are without exception For it may not bee thought that those holy men of God who were the pen-men of the holy ghost did offend in penning of the scriptures but in the very penning of the scripture they haue vsed diuerse oathes especially Paule in his epistles yea in the scriptures are recorded oathes of the holy Angels who are free from sinne and to conclude with the example of all examples the Lord himselfe is sometimes said to haue sworne But an oath is not onely warranted as lawfull but also commended as good Psal. 63. 11 euery one that sweareth by the Lord shall bee commended where as in this place to sweare by the Lord aright is made a proper note by which a godly man is described Neither is it onely commended as good but also commaunded as necessarie And it is necessarie not onely by necessitie of dutie